Damian OnLine
From December 1, 2018, physicians issue sick leaves only in electronic form. They are called e-ZLA for short. It is a great convenience for patients because there is no need to deliver the document to the employer (for employees) or to the Social Insurance Institution (for people running a business). The e-sick leave is automatically sent to the profile of the Electronic Services Platform of the contribution payer and to the ZUS system. All you need to do is to inform your employer that you are being on sick leave.
Now the doctor can issue an electronic sick leave also during a telephone consultation. Check out other advantages of telemedicine at the Damiana Medical Center.
How does an electronic sick leave work?
To issue an e-sick leave, the doctor should enter the patient's personal ID No. (PESEL) in the system. Data such as the patient's address and identification of the contribution payer are automatically downloaded from the system. The patient no longer has to provide the employer's tax identification number (NIP). A medical certificate is issued in the form of an electronic document authenticated with the use of a qualified certificate or a trusted ePUAP profile. The electronic sick leave is automatically sent to the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) system, which will send the relevant information to the employer no later than within 24 hours. The patient does not have to deliver the printed document to the employer within seven days.
In addition, it is also possible to issue a sick leave via mobile devices, e.g. during a home visit. Internet access is necessary.
What about technical problems?
If issuing an e-ZLA is not possible (e.g. due to the lack of internet access, inability to authenticate the medical certificate using a qualified electronic signature or a trusted ePUAP profile, system problems or a power failure), the doctor has the option of issuing a traditional, printed certificate. In this case, all the information necessary to issue the certificate must be provided to the doctor by the patient. In such a case, the patient must provide a printed and signed certificate to the employer. The doctor is obliged to submit the certificate in electronic form to the Social Insurance Institution within three working days of issuing the printed document.
E-sick leave – amenities for the employer and employee
If the employer has a profile on PUE (Electronic Services Platform), he will receive a message that e-ZLA was issued to his employee and the sick leave itself. Until now, an employee (patient) had to deliver the medical certificate to the employer within seven days, but it is no longer required. Thus, the patient does not apply to any reduction in the sickness benefit due to exceeding this deadline.
In addition, the electronic sick leave does not contain the ICD number, which protects the privacy of the employee.
When the employer does not have a profile on PUE
If the employer does not have a profile on PUE, it will not be possible to submit e-ZLA. In this case, the doctor should issue a printed certificate for the patient, and the employee must deliver this form to his employer within seven days. The system will inform the doctor that printing the certificate is necessary.
